(Bigstock photo)
Chased and threatened at gunpoint, a married Black lesbian couple in Spotsylvania County, Va., was nearly killed in a potentially racially motivated hate crime around 6:30 p.m. on July 20.
Giving its full attention to the case on the attack on Amylah Majors and Jamaria Gaskins, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ryan Mehaffey said he immediately requested a thorough investigation of all facts and circumstances.
“All relevant charges, including potential hate crime charges, will be considered upon completion of the investigation. Our office vigorously prosecutes crimes,” Mehaffey, top prosecutor in Spotsylvania, said.
Spotsylvania County is roughly 65 miles south of D.C.
On the day of the attack, Majors and Gaskins were driving on Partlow Road when they hit debris and checked out the damage. Soon after, Majors said three white people, two men and one woman, appeared from their home and began threatening them with firearms and shouting racial slurs.
“Two of them physically attacked my wife while brandishing a gun and shouting threats,” Majors said in a public GoFundMe post, which has raised just over $5,000. “They called us the (‘N-word’), told us we didn’t belong there, and one of them even exposed himself while screaming hate and slurs at us.”
While trying to leave, Majors said the three attackers got into their cars and chased Majors and Gaskins down the road. Driving side by side, Majors said one of them pointed a gun directly at her head.
“In that moment, we truly believed we weren’t going to make it out alive,” Majors said.
During their escape, the couple ended up crashing their car, with Majors ejecting from the vehicle. She was in the hospital soon after with a fractured spine, broken clavicle, a severe concussion, a broken rib, and multiple head injuries.
“I am beyond grateful to be alive,” Majors said. “But we were both assaulted, traumatized, and nearly killed. This was not just an accident — this was an attempted act of violence meant to harm and silence us. We will not be silent.”
Two of the attackers, Mark Goodman and Elizabeth Wolfrey, have been charged with misdemeanor charges after the incident.
Wolfrey was charged with one count of pointing and brandishing a firearm, with Goodman facing a charge of indecent exposure for recording his backside to the couple. A third person recorded during the incident was not charged with a crime “at this time,” Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office Maj. Delbert Myrick said.
“The investigation includes all individuals observed in the video,” Myrick said in a written response to the Advocate. “No one will be excluded from potential charges until the investigation is fully concluded.”
Myrick went on to say Spotsylvania County is a diverse and safe community, and this incident evoked fear, anxiety, and frustration in the community.
“We at the Sheriff’s Office share these feelings and stand united with our community in condemning all forms of hate, racism, and the use of racial slurs,” Myrick said. “This behavior has no place in Spotsylvania County or any other community.”
Goodman and Wolfrey both have a hearing scheduled for Nov. 20 in Spotsylvania General District Court.
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